


Adaris

by ChokolatteJedi



Category: Firefly
Genre: Harems, Innuendo, Misunderstanding, One Shot, Other, Post-Series Pre-Movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-02-06
Updated: 2009-02-06
Packaged: 2017-10-20 11:45:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/212462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They encounter a little trouble trying to dock on a new moon</p>
            </blockquote>





	Adaris

"Alright, so what do we know about this place Badger's sending us?" Mal asked, quickly coming up the stairs into the bridge and assuming his usual position behind the pilot's chair.

Wash was in his usual seat, with Zoe leaning against the wall beside him. Wash toggled a series of switches before answering. "Well, we've got clearance to dock alright, but they were a bit picky about our registration." He sounded confused, a tone Mal didn't like coming from the man in control of his ship.

"And by picky you mean…" Mal prompted.

"They asked for our registration name, but they wouldn't accept yours, and they didn't like mine either. The guy finally asked who our _Lady_ was, and once they had Zoe's name, we got the green light to land."

Mal glanced at Zoe, who shrugged back. "Don't know why, Sir. Man wasn't too forthcoming with information."

"Huh." Mal cocked his head. "But they seem to be a friendly bunch in general?" he asked.

"Yeah!" Wash adjusted the steering controls slightly. "They were all manner of friendly once they got Zoe's name. It was almost like they recognized it or something."

"Don't know why, Sir," Zoe spoke up quickly, before Mal could ask the obvious question. "I ain't never set foot on this planet before."

"Huh." Mal ran a hand through his hair. "Well I'll go talk to the others then. Maybe the good doctor has some insight in that little encyclopedia gadget of his." Mal quickly strode out of the bridge, walking down the long hall to the kitchen.

As it turned out, Simon, Kaylee, and Book were all there, eating what looked to be a late breakfast. "So, any of you ever hear of a place called Adaris?" Mal asked, skipping the usual preamble (though he did return Kaylee's small wave with a nod). They were just too gorram close to the surface to be going into an unknown. "Badger assured me that it was just like every other Rim Moon, but we've run into a bit of confusion trying to land."

"I would assume that you had trouble because you tried to give them your name," Book said calmly, taking a long sip from his cup.

Mal turned to the Sheppard; of course this would be one of those things that the preacher had a suspicious amount of knowledge about. "So you do know about it?"

Book nodded serenely. "In the oldest days of Earth That Was, Adaris was a sun god, represented by a peacock and an ass. The peacock is traditionally a creature associated with females, while an ass is a symbol of a man who had been duped. Many scholars now believe that Adaris was in fact a female sun goddess."

"And?" Mal didn't need the history of the name, just the history of the moon he was about to set down on.

"The first Magistrate of a moon names it, and in this instance, the first Magistrate was killed before he could name it. The second Magistrate pretended to be him to the Alliance, but named it after herself." Book concluded.

"Adaris has a female Magistrate?" Mal repeated.

Book nodded, a small smile playing about his face. "Yes. It has been a matriarchy since it was first terraformed, though the Alliance didn't find out until very recently. Over the years, certain _unusual_ customs have come about there," Book paused and took another sip of his drink, "such as the keeping of male harems."

"The wha-?" Mal gaped. He could not have heard what he just heard.

"If you are attempting to dock at Adaris, it is assumed that you have a female captain, and that any men on the crew are there to serve her, and perhaps act as accessory labor. I assume that Wash gave them Zoe's name, or Serenity would not be allowed to dock."

Mal didn't think that he nodded, but he must have, because Book smiled. His brain was still stuck on the part where the folk of Adaris were assuming that he was a part of Zoe's _harem._

"Gee. Times like this make a person wish that Inara was still here, don't they?" That snide comment was Kaylee's, and it was just enough to snap Mal out of his shock.

"We don't need her. There's plenty of girlfolk left on this boat without her." Mal snapped.

"It wouldn't make a difference even if she was here," Book said calmly. "Once you gave them Zoe's name, they wouldn't deal with any person but her. In the eyes of Adaris, she is the commander of this ship and everyone within her. In all matters."

Mal was gaping again. He was quite sure that, as Kaylee would put it, he had finally gone bibbledy. "So… are you telling me… when we touch down… are we… am I?"

"Did you give them any names besides Zoe's?" Book asked.

"Uh… Wash… he and me… he told some guy…"

"Then you two will have to go with her." Book said with finality. "It is customary that, unless a woman is claiming to be extremely wealthy and of high breeding, she only travel the streets with two escorts from her harem. It they have you and Wash recorded, then you are the two they would expect to see with her."

"Well, then Jayne can go in Wash's place," Mal decided.

Book hesitated. "I'm not so sure that would work. They have access to much of the Alliance database. By now they have searched for both of your names, and will have your vocal, facial, and fingerprint identifiers on record. The three of you will be checked multiple times before you can enter the city."

"So it has to be Zoe, me, and Wash?" Mal asked. He didn't really expect a change in Book's answer, but he could still hope.

"It has to be Zoe, you, and Wash," Book confirmed, before hiding a smile behind his cup.

Mal turned without another word and strode back down the corridor, muttering "mei yong ma duh tse gu yong."(1)

**Author's Note:**

> (1) Motherless goat of all motherless goats


End file.
